


Just Once

by omgitscharlie



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27236278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omgitscharlie/pseuds/omgitscharlie
Summary: "Oh, just be quiet!" Kagome suddenly snapped, eyes finally snapping to meet his with a sense of annoyance, anger, and hurt, "This whole mess is your fault!" She added, still shouting at him as her brows furrowed, "I hate your guts!" It was spoken with such conviction as if she truly meant it and had wanted to say it for as long as they'd known each other.Inuyasha couldn't help but fall on his ass at the metaphorical impact of her words."She hates me?"She'd never said anything remotely close to that to him before; sure, she could get mad but often she would just call him a jerk before heading home. There was a pang in his gut, as if she'd punched him herself, as his heart skipped a beat out of both surprise and hurt. Regardless of the fact that he felt both of those things, he did was he did best by hiding it and pushing it down with the facade of anger."I don't know what you think I did, but you better knock it off before I get seriously mad!" He retorted with the same volume she'd just given him.*A one-shot that is an alternate ending to episode 151 of the anime*
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 24
Kudos: 127





	Just Once

"Hey, Kagome! Why the long face? It's not like you!" They'd been searching for her for hours, trying to find where that barrier had been but with no luck. The worry that he'd felt in his gut, paired with the realization that Kikyo was still alive, had his head almost reeling. Both of the women he loved, out of his sight and in some sort of danger. It hadn't been until he heard a waterfall that it became obvious the barrier had been lifted, and when they finally managed to find Kagome, she was just sitting there. 

The scent of Kikyo was still in the air and he couldn't help but make sure by sniffing the air a few times. A slight relief came over him, knowing that she was alive and able to at least walk around, even though there was still the worry of knowing that her body had been overtaken by miasma. 

Kagome looked so sad, eyes somber as she hugged her knees and averted her gaze from him, purposefully trying to avoid it as he crouched down in front of her. He didn't know what her problem was, why she was so depressed and couldn't help but ask in the only way he knew how when they were in the company of others.

"Oh, just be quiet!" Kagome suddenly snapped, eyes finally snapping to meet his with a sense of annoyance, anger, and hurt, "This whole mess is your fault!" She added, still shouting at him as her brows furrowed, " _I hate your guts!_ " It was spoken with such conviction as if she truly meant it and had wanted to say it for as long as they'd known each other. 

Inuyasha couldn't help but fall on his ass at the metaphorical impact of her words.

_"She hates me?"_

She'd never said anything remotely close to that to him before; sure, she could get mad but often she would just call him a jerk before heading home. There was a pang in his gut, as if she'd punched him herself, as his heart skipped a beat out of both surprise and hurt. Regardless of the fact that he felt both of those things, he did was he did best by hiding it and pushing it down with the facade of anger.

"I don't know what you think I did, but you better knock it off before I get seriously mad!" He retorted with the same volume she'd just given him.

"Inuyasha, sit!" The words were spoken pointedly and assertively, with a heavy fog of annoyance. The sound of his face crashing against the ground had her cathartically satisfied as she climbed to her feet, "I'm going for a walk," she stated bluntly, fists clenched at her sides as Miroku, Sango and Shippou all simply stood by and watched.

It was only when they realized that she wasn't taking her bow or her backpack that Sango finally spoke up, "Kagome! Wait-"

"No one follow me," she practically growled, speaking through gritted teeth as she began to walk into the forest that surrounded the area. Shippou hid behind Sango's shoulder at the aura that radiated from the young miko.

"She's really mad..."

* * *

The fire was built as the five of them sat around the fire, Inuyasha sitting with his legs folded and his arms pushed into his sleeves. With eyes closed, he could tell that the monk and Shippou were both staring at him expectantly. A low growl left him before he opened his eyes and shot a glare at them, "Whadya expect me to do? I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I've never seen Kagome so sad and dejected before," Sango mused, looking towards the forest as she stood, arms folded across her chest as she waited for Kagome to come back. Inuyasha gave a sideways glance towards the demon-slayer, showing a sense of uneasiness as he let out a defeated groan.

"Inuyasha," Miroku started, causing the hanyou to turn his attention back towards him, "Are you sure you don't want to go after Kikyo?"

Letting his gaze fall to the ground, his tone held a somber tone to it, as if in thought, "Seems like it's hardly an option, with Kagome as she was..." he murmured, only to hear Sango counter that with a tone that held much more edge than he was used to.

"So you mean, if Kagome sent you off with a smile, you'd go off and look for Kikyo?" 

A disgruntled noise left the hanyou, brows furrowing at silence fell between the squad. Looking into the fire, he could feel frustration and, frankly, fear with the knowledge that Kagome had left without her bow. Her scent was still nearby enough, but it was dissipating much more rapidly than he liked, "Fine. I'll go look for her," Inuyasha grunted, climbing to his feet before he bounded off into the forest.

Sango couldn't help but frown with great irritation, jaw clenching as she looked towards Miroku, "I can't believe him, going off to look for Kikyo when Kagome is out there on her own. How selfish can he be?"

All Miroku could do was sigh heavily, shaking his head as he put the spit of fish against the fire. 

* * *

Kagome kept a rather quick pace as she walked through the woods, still tense in her shoulders as her fists clenched against her sides. There was a great attempt to keep her tears at bay, ones made of both sadness and frustration. Sadness at the fact that Kikyo was the one Inuyasha wanted to be with as well as frustration at herself for reacting the way she did. But she had every right to react that way, right? He'd hurt her. Over and over he'd hurt her without taking her into consideration once.

That was a lie. He'd tried to get her to leave him because he knew he'd continue to hurt her. Inuyasha knew what it did to her, but she'd asked to stay - almost begged if she recalled correctly. And yet, with all of the logic she housed within her petite body, she couldn't help but let herself give in to that anger just a little. It felt good, cathartic.

"Stupid. I'm so _stupid_ ," she cursed herself, voice shaky with that same threat of tears as she kicked a random rock that was in her way, sending it flying a few feet in front of her, "Why do I even-" another frustrated growl left her as she finally stopped to gather her thoughts. A defeated whine left her as she looked around, realizing that she didn't remember where she'd come from, "Good job, Kagome...now you don't know where you are..." she murmured to herself, wrapping her arms around herself at the fact that she was all alone and that Inuyasha hadn't gone after her. It only seemed to solidify the fact that her suspicions were true, he was already probably off to find Kikyo. 

Taking a seat on a nearby log, she rested her elbows on her knees before resting her chin in one of her hands. It was dark, with only the light of the moon to show her surroundings and, though it shone bright, the shadows of the tree hindered her from seeing much. Looking up, she thought back to what had just happened, how Kikyo could have only been saved by her and how, without a shadow of a doubt, she knew she had to save her. At that moment, there was nothing else that she could think about but trying to convince the priestess that what had happened wasn't either hers or Inuyasha's fault. That she shouldn't hate Inuyasha and try to get past what was holding her back from being completely free. What else could she do? Kagome felt as though she had no other choice, her heart knew that. 

But now, with the recognition that Kikyo and Inuyasha were meant to be together, it had her heart shatter and tear at the seams. Maybe it would be best for her to just forget about even trying to hide feelings for Inuyasha. The thought of that had her closing her eyes with a furrowed brow.

_"How could I even think such a thing?"_

She scolded herself before drawing in a deep breath and releasing it, _"I love him, there's no way around it. I knew what I was signing up for..."_ her internal dialogue continued before suddenly hearing a rustling in trees overhead. 

Springing to her feet in surprise, she tried to see just what was making that noise when she realized she hadn't taken her bow with her. The pace of her heart increased as she heard the rustling getting closer to her. Just as she turned to run, she felt a hand on her wrist, causing her to primally scream out of fear and in hopes of alerting anyone nearby that could help her. 

"Damnit, Kagome!" 

The familiar tenor entered her ears, turning her head to peer over her shoulder and see Inuyasha himself, ears pinned against his head as a result of her high-pitched wailing, "It's just me!"

Without thinking, she tore her arm out of his grasp to fold both across her chest and turn her back to him completely, "Sorry, wrong person. I don't know where Kikyo went," she said spitefully, jaw clenched as she heard a low growl behind her.

"I ain't lookin' for Kikyo! You ran off without your bow, stupid!" 

Kagome glanced over her shoulder towards him, seeing that he was empty-handed, "Why didn't you bring it with you?" she asked, tone much colder than it normally was. 

Inuyasha was taken aback by just how standoffish she was being, it was unlike her. Was she really that mad? How was this different than any other time that Kikyo had been a point of contingency? 

"Because I'm takin' you back, Kagome. Don't be an idiot. C'mon," he stated as he reached to grip her wrist once again, only to freeze at the venom in her voice.

"Don't you dare touch me!" There was a quiver in her voice that time, cracking with the threat of tears. Shoulders were brought to her ears as her fists found a familiar home at her eyes, "Just go look for Kikyo, alright!? I know that's what you want, so just go!"

"Would you quit it with that!?" Inuyasha countered, reaching out to grab her shoulder and turn her around, only to feel her fists smacking against his chest as she tried to wiggle her way out of his grip, "You can hate me all you want, but I'm takin' you back to camp!"

"Let me go!" Kagome cried, tears spilling from her eyes as she tried to get him to let go. If he touched her, held her, or did anything to her, she would cave and forgive him, and she didn't know if she wanted to yet, even if there was really _nothing_ to forgive. Sobs left her as she kept feebly smacking her hands against his chest, feeling his strong hands holding onto her biceps to keep her in place, "Stop!" 

Before she knew it, he had her arms around her, pulling her close and cradling the back of her head to press it against the strength of his chest. Tremoring sobs racked her body as she finally gave int and sunk into his hold, gripping onto his suikan when she finally had given up trying to hit him away. The sound of her cries tore into his heart and ripped through his gut, pained, and helpless in how to help her. It made it worse knowing that it seemed he was the cause of it at some capacity.

"Why couldn't you just-" Kagome started, voice still cracked with tears and muffled by the fabric she'd dug her face into, "Why couldn't you have just stayed for once! Just one time!" 

"Kagome..." he breathed, keeping her pressed against him as she continued to cry, feeling how she shook with each sob that left her, "I haven't-"

"But you wanted to!" she knew exactly what he was going to say, that he hadn't actually gone to look for her; but that wasn't the point. Wasn't she good enough? Didn't she give him what he wanted? She was being selfish, she knew that, but she couldn't stop herself from just letting herself feel it, "Why don't you just stay with her next time! Don't bother coming back!" Hands moved in an attempt to shake him by keeping hold of his suikan.

_"No! I didn't mean that!"_

She screamed at herself, though all she could do was keep crying, weeping for a heart she knew she would never fully have. 

"Keh. Like I'd ever do that. I left you alone for twenty minutes and you already got yourself lost," the tone of his voice was small and somber, holding a very real sense of hurt within it. 

_"Does she really think I'd rather just go with Kikyo?"_

His heart ached at the thought that she'd have that in her head. If he'd wanted to do that, he could have at the start - Kikyo could sense jewel shards too. It would have made sense. But Kagome was who he stayed and stood by, didn't that mean anything to her? Kikyo had never made him laugh as Kagome did, never made it so he could trust anyone or find the strength in the kindness of others. He'd held her up on a pedestal - still did. Kagome was his equal, a person who he felt he could truly be himself around. With Kikyo, he felt like he needed to be smarter, more articulate, and level headed; there was a piece of him that would always be attached to her, but Kagome had done more for him than Kikyo ever did. How did she not see that?

"Is that all I am to you then? A burden to pity?" she asked, keeping her head dug into his chest. 

"Stop it, wouldya?" he scolded, though his tone was much more gentle in timbre in an attempt to house some sort of seriousness within it. Loosening his hold on her to look down at her, he saw that she kept her head dug into his chest, "What's gotten into you?" He asked, keeping his arms wrapped around her waist.

Kagome's sobs had fallen into whimpers, sniffling as the realization of what she'd done started to set in. Her stomach ached, her chest and eyes burned from crying - she'd been upset at her own thoughts, not him really, "I'm sorry..." she whimpered, still keeping her face from view. Kagome felt humiliated by her own words and actions; how could she have said those things to him? What she'd done probably solidified his choice of Kikyo over her; at least Kikyo could hold her emotions in check, somewhat. The gentle prod of a claw-tipped finger pushing on her chin had her lifting it, though her eyes remained closed for a moment. When they did open, it was off to the side, avoiding his gaze out of shame.

"Look at me, Kagome," he commanded, voice self-assured and authoritative. Kagome refused, sniffling as she let more tears fall down her cheeks, "I said _look at me_ ," there was snarl in his voice that time, startling the young miko into obeying. What met her were the familiar pair of molten amber staring down at her with his own sense of hurt and uncertainty, "I'm not goin' after Kikyo, alright?"

It would have meant the world to her if she hadn't made a huge fuss about it that probably guilted him into not going. Kagome let her hands slide down the front of his chest to hang at her sides, head turning away from him once again, "Just go, Inuyasha. It's not my place to tell you not to."

"Is Kikyo, _okay?_ " he emphasized, leaning his head closer to hers all while still keeping his arms around her, scared that she'd bolt if he let go. Kagome paused, still avoiding his gaze as she continued to feel that looming shame of how she'd acted. That question had her anger flare just slightly, but it was easily dulled; it was only natural that he'd ask, like anyone would if it were someone they cared about.

"Mhm," she hummed, nodding her head while she continued to keep her attention turned away, "She was tainted by Naraku's miasma, but I purified it so I think she'll be alright."

Disbelief came over Inuyasha's features as he canted his head to try and catch her gaze with his own, "You did that for her?" Kagome could only nod with another small whimper of acknowledgment.

"How could I not?" It was the obvious thing to do. If she was the only one who was able to save Kikyo, of course she would do it. 

"Then I won't go," he stated confidently, finally causing Kagome's head to turn and meet his gaze with wide, watery eyes, "You said she's okay, so I won't go." Swallowing back tears, she nodded softly, still feeling that he was holding her against him, "Besides," Inuyasha continued, lifting a hand to wipe a stray tear from her cheek, "You're _not_ okay, so how could I possibly leave you like that?" Kagome almost froze at the touch, heart pounding in her chest at the intimate physical contact.

Biting on her lower lip, she gave him the smallest hints of a smile, gently raising her hands to press them against his chest. His expression darkened then, jaw clenched as he leaned his head forward, almost enough for their noses to be brushing, "So take back what you said earlier," he stated with much more offense to his voice than before.

Kagome's eyes widened at the sudden aggression, confused by his statement, "Hm?"

"Don't pretend like you forgot already! You said that you hated me a little while ago!" he scolded, his face still close to her own as he felt his grip tighten around her waist. Kagome kept that confused look on her face, trying to think back to when she had said that and not recalling.

"Really? Did I say that?" There had been many things she remembered saying, but something like that seemed out of character, even for her at that moment. Brows furrowed in thought as she looked towards the ground as if it would help jog her memory, "Hmm, I'm sorry. I guess I did forget." 

A chocked sound of disbelief left him as he let his hand fall to his side with a clenched fist, "D-Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" Before he could get too riled up, he felt the softness of her lips against his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I didn't mean it," she stated, falling back onto her heels as she pulled away to look up at him. With breath hitched in his throat, he froze with eyes wide at the contact, even going as far as to lift his hand to touch the place where her lips had been, "I couldn't hate you, even if I tried," she admitted, finally offering him that familiar smile that he was so addicted to seeing. How did she not realize what she meant to him? What she _did_ to him? In his own brain, he made it obvious.

Peering down at her, he let his hand move from his cheek to the side of her face, cupping her cheek in a way that the space between his thumb and index finger framed her ear, "Kagome..." the way he breathed her name made a shiver run up her spine, realizing that his lips were getting closer and closer to her own. A part of her wanted to stop him, to emphasize that this isn't what she needed from him right now if his heart was elsewhere. But another part of her, a very selfish part, just let it happen.

Both hands gripped his suikan as their lips touched for the first time, hesitant at first but easily finding home against one another. A thousand fireworks exploded in her belly, heart fluttering at the realization of what was happening. It was something she dreamed of, the taste of him against her - her first kiss. It lingered for a moment as they stood in the middle of nowhere, unbothered by prying eyes or the impending doom that seemed to always be lurking overhead. They were coming to the climax of their adventure, all of them felt it, which meant that eventually there would be an end to many things. 

Lifting one of her hands, she held onto his wrist as she felt him press harder against her, tongue hesitantly flicking her lower lip with the asking for entry. Kagome couldn't help but whimper against his lips, using what little willpower she has left to pull from him, "Inuyasha..." she whimpered, swallowing as she kept her face close against his, "I-"

"What?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing with confusion as to why she stopped them.

"I don't want this to be because you felt bad," she explained cooly, keeping her hand on his wrist, "I don't want you doing this because you think it'll make me happy."

A disgruntled sound came as a response, shaking his head before resting the fore of it against her own, "You think I'm that shallow?" 

"No, I just-" Kagome quickly defended, "Want to be sure, that's all."

"I ain't doin' it because I feel bad for ya, alright? I'm doin' it because-" his tone had been brash and its typical standoffish self, but he stopped himself short before going into any farther detail, wanting to make sure he said the right words. The pause had Kagome nervous, releasing his wrist to place it back on his chest, "I'm doin' it because I've wanted to for a long time."

Those words had Kagome's heart stopped beating for a moment, jumping into her throat at the meaning of them, "You-" she started, trying to make sure she fully heard what he said before she repeated it back to him, "You've wanted to kiss me?" 

"Yeah," he said as if her asking was some sort of fallacy, "You're surprised?"

"A little," she answered honestly, slowly moving to wrap her arms around his neck, finding it to be more comfortable, "Can you blame me?" Kagome offered another small smile, "You don't make it easy to read you sometimes, y'know."

"Keh. I made it plenty obvious, _you_ just weren't lookin' hard enough," he replied as he turned his chin up and away from her, all while moving to wrap both arms around her waist, "Not my fault you're oblivious t-" he was interrupted by both of her hands grabbing front strands on his hair and pulling him down for another kiss all while muttering the words 'shut up'. 

Inuyasha leaned into it completely, pulling her flush against him with a hum of contentment at the taste of her. She was completely addictive to him and tasted even better than he'd envisioned - all of those times he'd smelled the scent she was going off at that moment, he'd longed for more of it, "That's not all I've wanted..." he husked against her lips, voice low and gritty with promise. One hand pulled from her waist, only to run up her side and sliding beneath her shirt. Her skin was warm and so soft, like velvet against his palm; he was familiar with the feel of her thighs, but other parts of her, he wanted to know more. 

A surprised gasp was drawn into her lungs at the sudden touch, lips releasing his to do so as her mouth hung open. Inuyasha used that to his advantage, pressing his tongue against hers before capturing her lips with his once again. All the while, he continued to run his hand over her stomach and up her ribs, feeling how her skin rose with goosebumps at his touch. The way his tongue pressed against hers, how the taste of him entered her mind so completely, it almost had her knees buckle.

An involuntary whimper left her at the sensation, receiving a low, primal growl from the hanyou in return. 

The feel of wood against her back startled her some, having not noticed how he'd been pushing them up against a tree. Her lips left him to give him another gasp, a sound that he was growing rather fond of, and he used the opportunity to dip his head to the side and press a kiss to right beneath her jawline. Kagome ran her hands down the front of his chest, his lips drawing out soft little whines as she gripped his suikan, "Inuyasha..." she whimpered, feeling his hand run up towards her breast, only stopping when he felt another piece of fabric in the way.

Those weird contraptions she wore - what a nuisance. 

"Wait-" she breathed, turning her head towards him in hopes of catching his gaze, "We shouldn't-" she shook her head slightly, "Not here," there was a very real whine to her voice, as if she were forcing the words from her mouth. 

"If not here, where?" the low growl of his voice had her pushing her legs together, trying to make it harder for him to smell her. She wasn't stupid, she knew how his nose worked and knew that pheromones were something that even humans could subconsciously smell. The primal rumble in his chest radiate throughout Kagome's entire body, making it difficult for her to concentrate, "We won't go far," he hummed against her neck, pressing a wet, open-mouthed kiss to the side of it.

"What if the others-"

"They aren't, and if they are, they're lookin' in the wrong direction," he confirmed before letting his hand trail down between her thighs, immediately being stalled by Kagome's grip on his wrist.

"No. Don't. I'm-" Kagome stated, embarrassed at just how wet she'd become. His strength easily overpowered hers, running his fingers down farther over the cotton fabric that kept a barrier between them.

"Shhh, just let me," he breathed against her ear, suddenly feeling his push the fabric aside and run two fingers between her folds. A groan left him as the feeling, shooting right into Kagome's ear and down to her core, "I could smell this scent in your room sometimes when you'd stayed in your time a day or two. Could smell your fingers," his own ran up against a harder part of her, protruding and causing Kagome to jolt under his touch with a high-pitched moan. Her hands gripped his biceps then, trying to keep her knees from buckling, "What were you thinkin' about, Kagome?"

"Ah!" a desperate and almost embarrassed cry left her as he brushed his fingers over that same small bundle of nerves again, "Inu...ya...sha-" she choked, pushing her hips against his hand, despite her next words, "You're...embarrassing me..." 

Nuzzling his nose against her ear, he continued to brush his finger back and forth against that same spot, causing Kagome to lean her head forward to rest against his shoulder, "Found a good spot, did I?"

"S-Stop," she gasped, gripping back down to his wrist, "Inuyasha, it's-"

"It smells so good, Kagome. Smells like you," he purred, keeping his fingers moving. It was a fine movement, but Kagome knew what felt better, and she was already so close. Leaning her head back against the tree, she tried to catch her breath, closing her eyes as his lips found her throat.

Holding his wrist, she pushed her hips against his hand again before running her fingers over his, "Like," she moved his hands in a circular motion, "Like this..." she encouraged, hearing the hanyou's growl rumble against her throat. He continued the motion she showed him, circling her with his fingers as she relinquished her grip on him to reinstate it back on his bicep. 

He could feel how she bucked into his hand so gently as if she were afraid to show anything cruder than what she already was. The fact that she was becoming wetter and wetter had him becoming needy himself, twitching in his pants with the yearning for her own touch, "Kagome," he choked, taking one of her hands to place it between his own thighs and rest it upon the length of him, "This is what you do to me..." he added, feeling Kagome's hand grip him out of instinct with a moan.

"Inuyasha..." she breathed heavily, feeling how he pulse against her palm even through the fabric of his hakama. She wanted to feel more, they were already farther than she'd ever thought they'd be and that liberating thought had her becoming a bit bolder. Releasing her grip, she began to pull at his obi, loosening it enough for his hakama to go slack. Catching his lips with her own, she moved all of the extra fabric out of the way, pulling his suikan and kosode from it before pushing down the waist of his hakama. Gripping him, the feel of his bare flesh against her palm, she whimpered, knowing she wouldn't be able to bring herself to look. There was no shame in what they were doing, but her mind still held some innocence. 

Running her grip up to the tip of him, she ran it back down with the same fluid motion, causing the hanyou to pull from her lips and release a ragged groan, "K-Kagome," how he'd dreamed of this, to have her wrapped around him in some capacity. Now it was actually happening, her hand barely fitting around him completely but still offering enough pressure that he was sure it wouldn't be long until he finished.

They matched each other's rhythm, his hand circling her while her own stroked him. Laboured breaths were stalled by moaning kisses as they continued to touch and please one another with their hands. 

"Nuh!" Inuyasha suddenly choked out, leaning his head forward to lean against her shoulder. He was close, but he'd be _damned_ if he finished before her.

Kagome let her head fall back against the tree once more, her hips pushing against his hand as she felt that familiar spring coil in her core, "Inuyasha," she gasped, her voice a little louder as it built and built. Her body tensed for a moment before she felt it all crash down on her, "Inuyasha!" crying out his name a lot louder than she'd intended, causing it to echo throughout the wilderness. The way her whole body tensed meant her grip tightened around him, causing the hanyou to simply push his hips against her hold in the attempt to finish himself off.

"Kagome, I'm so clo-uh!" he couldn't hold out any longer, spilling himself onto the ground between their legs as both of their legs quaked with the fight to stand. Hips jolted against her hands a few times before he finally relaxed, feeling Kagome lose her balance and almost collapse to her knees if Inuyasha hadn't wrapped his arm around her waist last second. 

Managing to remain standing, he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck, pressing small kisses there as she released small, almost sleepy moans. Though she'd passed out after saving Kikyo, she definitely hadn't been asleep long enough to gather any semblance of full-strength or rest. Top that off with the emotional exhaustion and the energy they'd just exuded, and Kagome was ready to pass out once again, "Inu...yasha..." she murmured. the hanyou pulling from her neck to peer down at her and see her sleepy gaze looking up at him, "My legs, I can't move them," she whined, only receiving a cocksure grin from the man who was the reason behind it.

Pushing the fabric of her underwear back into place, he pulled his fingers from her and gently set her down to sit against the tree before licking off his fingers with a hum, unable to help himself. With them clean, he adjusted his clothes by tugging in his suikan and kosode to his hakama before tying it up. 

Crouching down in front of her, Kagome managed to barely open her eyes with a smile, "Thank you, Inuyasha," she hummed, reaching out her hand to cup his cheek, "For coming to find me." Taking her hand in his, he pressed a kiss to the palm of it.

"I'll always come find you, Kagome," he stated blatantly before lifting her up and adjusting her on his back. She was like dead weight, her head resting in his back as her arms dangled over his shoulders bonelessly. 

Instead of his usual quick pace, her kept a leisurely one, not wanting to disturb her sleep as much as he could. He didn't blame her for being tired, considering the amount of power he was sure she'd needed to purify that much miasma.

* * *

Breaking through the treeline, he saw the rest of the crew sitting around the fire, looking concerned. When they heard footsteps, they all lifted their heads to see Inuyasha carrying Kagome on his back, with the latter passed out completely.

"You found her," Sango stated as she climbed to her feet.

"I said I was gonna go look for her," Inuyasha replied easily with both Sango and Miroku slightly stunned.

"Oh, we thought you meant- nevermind," Sango corrected before looking over Kagome and finding no injuries, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, tired though. She'd been runnin' around like an idiot for longer than she'd realized. When I found her she was sitting on a log at least a quarter of the way back from where we came," he stated. It wasn't a lie. He had found her sitting on a log, the rest they didn't need to know.

"Why do you and Kagome smell so funny," Shippou suddenly stated, rubbing an eye in an attempt to do away with the sleep in it, "She smells a lot more like you than usual and," Shippou sniffed the air, "You smell _a lot_ like her."

Inuyasha felt the heat rise to his cheeks before glaring towards the young kitsune, "I don't know what you're gettin' at, runt. I just carried her back, that's what you're smellin'," he stated as he crouched down to make it easier for Sango to get Kagome on the sleeping bag she'd rolled out. 

"Hmmm, I dunno. It smells pretty funny," Shippu added before releasing a yelp after being socked in the head by the hanyou himself.

"It's. _Nothing_ ," Inuyasha gritted through his teeth before taking a seat by the fire beside Kagome's sleeping bag with legs crossed and arms shoved into his sleeves. 

Sango and Miroku looked at one another before looking back at Inuyasha, the monk allowing an unseen smirk cross over his lips in response to Sango's question, "Do you think they made up somehow?"

"I think they may have done more than that, my dear Sango," Miroku mused, keeping that smirk on his face, "I think they did more than that."

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why, but this episode always hit me differently, partially because it seemed like Kagome finally let herself go a little bit and actually hurt Inuyasha in a way that he'd done to her - kind of. I hope you enjoy my alternate ending.  
> ALSO SOME OF THESE LINES COME STRAIGHT FROM THE ANIME AND I DO NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THEM.


End file.
